Tire rack



J. E. ELGIN.

RE R CK 1A1 QRQO, Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

Ulilllllfifi STATES rfiiTlENT @FFEQ JOHN E. ELGIN, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

TIRE RACK.

To all wiwmc't may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN E. ELGIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tire Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,- such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the storageof automobile tires and tubes in convenient form for exhibition and sale, and consists in an improved rack, the parts of which, disassembled, may be compactly bundled for shipment, and at the destination may be easily installed, and when so erected be strong, durable, etiicient and practically fireproof.

The invention is fully disclosed in the description and claims following, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a view in perspective of my im proved rack as in use. F 2 is a detail view of one of the brackets on an enlarged scale.

To the floor 5 are attached standards 6 by floor-plates 7, regular gas-pipe and fittings being preferably used. At the upper ends the standards are anchored in the same way by ceiling-plates 8. in which case the standards may be continuous from floor to ceiling, as will be evident, though not so illustrated. In practice the standards stop short of the ceiling, and are provided with Ts 9, so that the purchaser may by adding short lengths of pipe 10 or 11, anchor to the ceil ing or side wall, as may be more convenient.

To the standards are fitted brackets 12 having at their out r ends seats 13 for siderails 14. For these smaller pipe is used, and is tightly clamped in position by clampplates 15 forming parts of the seats, the extended flanges of the plates and the adjacent flanges 16 of the brackets being pierced for fastening bolts 17. The rail-supporting brackets are curved upwardly as shown, both for strength and attractiveness, the transverse flanges 16 being reinforced by depending ribs 18 connecting the rail-seats with the central hubs 19. Each bracket is composed of a pair of identical halves, one of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 380,089.

which is shown at large in Fig. 2. The hub has a semicircular recess of slightly less depth than the radius of the standard pipe, and is flanked each side by a flat portion 20, one of -which is a continuation of the depending rib. At 21 is a shoulder, against which the end of the companion half rests neatly, with faces flush all around. To give the requisite strength the lateral flange expands at the hub, as shown in Fig. 1, and indicated in Fig. 2. Through the holes 22 are inserted the clamping bolts 23.

To provide a shelf for inner tube boxes 24, or other merchandise, the brackets are made straight, as shown at 1.2, but are made in duplicate halves, and are clamped to the standard in the same way as the curved brackets. Their straight, upper faces serve for the support of shelves 25. If metal shelves are used the entire rack is incombustible.

The construction admits of the brackets being raised or lowered, or of their being removed, or others inserted, without disturbing any other part of the rack. As above noted, the disconnected parts may be compactly bunched, boxed, or crated for shipment, and are easily and quickly assembled and erected. by the use of a few bolts and screws.

-Iaving thus described my intention, I claim:

1. In a tire-rack, in combination with sup porting standards, brackets composed of similar halves, with overlapping hub portions adapted to clamp said standards. fastening bolts therefor. divided rail-seats at the outer ends of the brackets, with clampplates therefor, fastening bolts, and rails held in said seats thereby. v

-2. A rail-bracket for tireracks, comprising a pair of similar halves, with centrally divided, overlapping hubs, shouldered to match together, fastening bolts therefor, and with arms provided with terminal seats for tubular rails, cooperating clamp-plates, and fastening bolts therefor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. ELGIN.

Witnesses R. D. BROWN, J. M. ST. JOHN. 

